Winter blankets Montreal, while a bookseller and her lover dream of Prague. As the narrator’s open marriage becomes the subject of a novel, reality blurs with fiction, and she tries to reconcile the need to create with the desire for love and sex. Written in stark, spare prose, Prague is an introspective and intimate account of the making of a novel from life.

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Reality blurred with fiction
Intimate
Introspective

Finalist, Expozine Best Book Award 2019

Written by Maude Veilleux
Translated by Aleshia Jensen & Aimee Wall
168 pages • 978-1-77186-178-6 • 8″ x 5″
FICTION / Literary FICTION
$19.95
AVAILABLE IN ALL FORMATS
Publication Date: June 1, 2019

Our story was falling flat. All of this waiting for a few moments of euphoria, it was exhausting. The moments came, but not often enough. I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted to throw myself into it. Set everything on fire. Be with him, be crazy. I felt like we were going to run out of time. He was afraid of getting close, becoming attached, being a couple. He was solitary, had a full inner life. Once a week was the deal. No more. He didn’t want to lose control. I knew he’d let me into his life because I wasn’t a threat. A married woman, the ideal arrangement. He was holding me at a distance, but other times felt so close. Closer than anyone had been. Closer than I’d imagined possible.

PRAISE FOR MAUDE VEILLEUX & PRAGUE

“Maude Veilleux is one of the most important writers of our era.” (Dominic Tardif, Le Devoir)

“Another gem from QC Fiction.” (Stuart John Allen, Winstondad’s Blog)

“Another day another favourite from the publishing world. I love small publishers, especially when they, like QC, keep bringing out such great books.” (Stuart John Allen, Winstondad’s Blog)

“a hyper-aware portrayal of the intimate relationship between sadness, submission, creation, and life in a body” (Bronwyn Averett, Montreal Review of Books)

“an espresso shot of modern married life: short [and] very strong” (Stuart John Allen, Winstondad’s Blog)

“a maelstrom of situations and emotions … heartbreaking.” (James Fisher, The Miramichi Reader)

“exhilarating … Kudos to Montréal publishers QC Fiction for continuing to turn out risky and unconventional translations.” (Simon Lavery, Tredynas Days Blog)

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maude Veilleux was born in 1987. She has published a number of fanzines and two poetry collections. Prague is her second novel; her first, also published in French with Hamac, was longlisted for the Prix des libraires du Québec, the Quebec booksellers’ award. She lives and works in Montreal.

 

ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS

Aleshia Jensen is a Montreal-based translator and former bookseller. Explosions, her first translation of a novel, was a finalist for the 2018 Governor General’s Award for Translation.

Aimee Wall is a writer and translator. She has previously translated novels by Vickie Gendreau and Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard. Originally from Newfoundland, she now lives in Montreal.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

✓ Autofiction through a new lens